Cradle



PatentedAug. 23, |898.

' R. BIRD. CRADLE. (Application led Apr. 9, 1898.)

(No Model.)

A TTOHNEYS.

NTTED STATES PATENT Crrrcs.

RALPH BIRD, OF JERSEY CITY, NEV JERSEY.

CRADLE.

.SPECIFICATIONformng part of Letters Patent N o. 609,654, dated August23, 1898. Application filed April 9, 1898. Serial No. 677,063. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern."

Be it known that 1, RALPH'BIRD, of J ersey` City, in the county ofHudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Cradle,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is a cradle constructed so that it may be readily foldedinto compact form when not in use, thus permitting it to be transportedwith great facility and stored `away in a small space when desired.

This specification is the disclosure of one form of my invention, whilethe claims define the actual scope thereof. j y

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective View ofthe invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe same in folded position. Fig. 3 is a detail section of the inventionon the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4. is a fragmentary view of one ofthe braces.

The cradle has head and foot arches 5 and 6, respectively, each fixedlymounted on a base-rail 7, which rails arein turn hinged totransversely-extending bars 8, located, respectively, alongside of therails 7. The bars 8 are connected with each other, so as to form a rigidframe, by means of crossed rods 9, each provided with a retractilespring 10, by which proper tension is maintained. Fixed to each end ofeach bar 8 Vis a brace 11 and 12, respectively. These braces aretherefore four in number, and are located two at each side of thecradle. The two braces at each side of the cradle are pivotally joinedto each other by means of pins 13. The ends of the braces 11 and 12opposite the ends that are attached to the bars 8 are provided withslots 14, wherein are loosely fitted pins 16, carried one at each sideof each arch 5 and 6. By these means the arches are mount` ed on aframing so that the arches may be thrown down to horizontal position ormay be raised to perpendicular position. When the arches are raised toperpendicular position, as shown in Fig. 1, the pins 16 lie in the outerends of the respective slots 14.; but when the arches are thrown down tohorizontal position the pins 16 move inwardly along the slots 14, andthe base-rails 7 swing on their hinges so as to be raised from theirfirst position, while at the same time the braces 11 and 12 in movingdownward with the arches 5 and 6 slightly rock the bars 8. The arches 5and 6 are held in raised position by means of two dog-plates 17, whichare carried, respectively, on the braces 12 at the outer portions oftheslots 14 the-rein. The dog-plates 17 are mounted so` that they maydrop into the slots and engage with the coacting pins 16, thuspreventing the pins from moving through the slots, and consequentlyholding the arches in perpendicular position. drop the arches, theplates17 are thrown up to disengage the adjacent pins 1G, and con-A .or ofswinging downward'to lie alongside of the arches, as shownV in Fig. 2.Fitted in each standard 18 is a casing 19, carrying a bolt 2O andalso aspring 21 to throw the bolt downward. The upper end of each bolt 2O isprovided with a head 22, whereby the bolt may be manipulated. The bolt2O of each standard 18 extends downward into a cavity 23 in theextension-standard 18. Each arch 5 and 6 is provided with a rigid keeper24, said keepers projecting downwardly from the outer side of each archand projecting inwardly at their upper ends into the respective cavities23, so as to be engaged by the bolts 20, and thus to hold the standards18 raised above the arches. By lifting the bolts 20 the keepers 24. aredisengaged and the standards 18 may be thrown inward, as indicated bythe dotted lines in Fig. 3, to the position shown vby full lines in Fig.3.

four corners of a rectangular frame-28. This` frame carries a iiexibleweb 29, forming the body of the cradle.

The cradle thus constructed may be adj usted to operative position, sothat the child ToV IOO

may be held and rocked by the swinging of the slings 27 on theprojections 26. When it is desired to fold the cradle, the bolts 20should be lifted to disengage the keepers 24 andthe extension-standards18 moved inward and downward. Then the dog plates 17 should be lifted todisengage the adjacent pins 16, whereupon the arches may be folded in-Ward and downward over the bodyof the cradle, which, being formed offabric, collapses on the brace-rods 9 and assumes the position indicatedin Fig. 2. This places the cradle in very compact form, and it may behandled and stored with great facility.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a cradle, the combination of head and footarches, a base-rail on which each arch stands, a bar hinged to eachbase-rail and running parallel therewith, brace-rods joining the bars toeach other, additional braces xed to the bars and having slidingconnection with the respective head and foot arches, anextension-standard carried by each arch, a keeper attached to each archand projecting into proximity with the standard thereof,

a bolt carried by each standard and remov.

ably engaging the keeper thereof, a sling pivotally attached to eachextension-standard, and a cradle proper hung from the slings.

2. In a folding cradle, the combination of an arch forming a support-ingmember, a keeper attached rigidly to the outer side of the arch andextending upward and inward therefrom, an extension-standard pivotallymounted at the upper portion of the arch and having a cavity capable ofreceiving a portion of the keeper, and a sliding bolt carried in the eX-tension-standard and movable to engage and release the keeper.

3. In a cradle, the combination of head and foot members, a base-rail onwhich each member is mounted, a bar hinged to each base-rail andextending parallel therewith, two braces attached to each bar, thebraces having slotted ends, two pins carried by each of said head andfoot members and respectively fit' RALPH BIRD.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MORRELL, ARTHUR BIRD.

